Form wall sustaining means



Feb. 20, 1-949. 8 s. s. COLT 2,190,701

FORM WALL SUSTAINI NG MEANS I Filed Sept. 9, 1959 ENTQR.

ATTORIGEX Patented Feb. 20, 19401 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE m WALL SUSTAINING MEANS Samuel S. Colt, West Orange, N. J. V J 7 Application September 9, 1939, Serial No. 294,075

QCIaimS. '(Cl.254-104) M v is a transverse section, taken on line 4 -4 in This invention relates to improvements in devices for securing and sustaining the walls of concrete casting forms in assembled relation.

This invention has for an object to provide an improved form wall sustaining device of the wedge type adapted to cooperate with form wall tie-rods so as to securely anchor the walls against displacement or yielding shift under the weight of the concrete mi): when the latter is poured into theform interiorQ i The invention has for another object to provide a form wall locking and sustaining device comprising a wedge element and a cooperating tie rod engaging abutment member which, although relatively movable, are tied together in such manner as to provide a unit whereby the parts cannot become accidentally separated when carmember so designed that it impinges the wedge ment of a second unit, in cases where a double wedge locking arrangement is'desired to be used.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form and construction of abutment member of the type equipped with opposed set screws for gripping a tie-rod to which said member is to be anchored in use.

Other objects of this invention, not at this timemore particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

Illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a form wall structure, showing operative application thereto oi the novel locking and sustaining means of this invention, and also showing an optional tandem arrangement of two of the latter as is sometimes desired.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section, showing an abutment member in elevation, said view being taken on line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a View similar to that of'Fig. 2, but showing an abutment member in horizontal section; and. Fig. 4

Fig. 2. i l w i Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig.2, but showing a modified form of abutment member. Similar characters of reference are employed in the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts. i l

Illustrative of the use of thenovel form wall sustaining means of this invention, the same is shown applied to a common type of form wall structure comprising,.a wall member 10, which is usually spaced apart from a similar'opposed wall member, these wall members being tied together by tie-rods IE: extending therebetween. Ordinarily battens l2 are employed to trace the outer side of the wall member it), over' which are usually arranged transversely extending walers i 3; the latter ordinarilybeing associated in pairs, between the members of which an exterior end portion of a tie-rod ll extends.

The novel form locking and sustaining device includes a wedge member comprising a base l4 having a longitudinally disposed slot l5 through which the tie-rod Il may project. Projecting outwardly from said base. M, respectively along opposite sides of saidslot I5 and perpendicular to the plane of said base M are wedge Webs it, the outer margins of which are downwardly and inwardly inclined to convergetoward the base [4.

Formed in connection with said outerfmargins of said wedge webs I6 are face flanges I! disposed transverse to the plane of said wedgewebs l6 so as to overhang the latter, so that freely projecting marginal portions thereof provide keeper lips. Said flanges ll pr'ojectfreely beyond the lower ends of said wedgewebs 16 to provideinwardly bent retainer ears I8 for purposes presently to be explained. l

Cooperative with the wedge member thus provided is an abutment member having means to couple the same to and upon'the outwardly projected end portionof the tie-rod l I in fixed or in anchored relation thereto. This abutment member comprises a longitudinal main body member l9 having an axial bore 20throughwhich said tie-rod I I may be extended. The inner end por tion of said main body I9 is suitably cut away or reduced along opposite sides thereof and inwardly of its rear'extremity so as to form oppositely and laterally projecting keeper lugs, 2!.

In assembling the abutment member in attached operative relation to the wedge member, the. former is passed upwardly between the wedge webs it of' the latter so'thatthe. keeper lugs 2| will engage behind the keeper lips formed by the interiorly projecting portions of the face flanges ll of said wedge member, whereby the wedge member is free to move longitudinally across the end of the abutment member while, nevertheless,

the latter is retained against bodily separation from such operative assembled relation to the wedge member. After the abutment member has been thus operatively assembled with and related to said wedge member, the retainer ears l8 are bent inwardly so as to prevent the thus assembled abutment member from being slid oif and away and thus detached from the wedge member, and consequently the keeper lugs 2i are retained against disassembly from operative relation to the keeper lips formed by the face flanges ii of the wedge member.

Integrally formed in connection with the main body 19 of said abutmentmember are laterally and oppositely projecting bosses 22 having axial internally screw-threaded bores 23 which intersect the bore 28 of said main body 59. Threaded respectively into said bores 23 are opposed setscrews 2% which when tightened home serve to grip the tie-rod H extending through the bore if: of said main body I9, and thus firmly afiix or anchor the abutment member to said tie-rod. integrally formed in connection with the rearward sides of said bosses 22 are impingement lugs or ears so, the same being spaced outwardly from the adjacent portions of said main body by intervening indented notches 26. Said impingement lugs or cars are provided with curvilinear peripheral thrust ribs 2?, which are relatively spaced apart for a distance equal to the distance apart of the spaced wedge webs E6 to which they are consequently aligned. To reenforce and brace the bosses 22 against stresses and strains transmitted thereto through the thrust ribs 2'1, when the latter are operatively engaged by the thrust of the driven home wedge member, bracing webs 28 are formed to extendbetween the outer sides of said bosses and outer end portion of the main body til. Preferably these bracing webs extend at their outer ends in the plane of the end surface of the outer extremity of said main body is, thus providing an abutment surface to engage the base of a similar sustaining means when two such means are used in tandem, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the use of the sustaining means, the wedge .member thereof being raised to initial position member is driven down between the abutment member and the walers it, it will thrust against the abutment member so as to draw the tie-rod ll tight, while at the same time it will thrust against the form wall structure so as to press the same to position as determined by internal stretchers or spacers (not shown), thus firmly locking the form wall structure in place, while likewise holding the same strongly against outward displacement under the weight and pressure of the concrete, when the latter is poured into the form interior.

'member is driven home.

It will be understoodthat owing to the fact that thrust ribs 2'! are maintained in position to bear only upon those parts of the wedge face flanges H which are directly over and in line with the wedge webs [6, .no pressure is exerted upon the freely overhanging or keeper lip portions of said flanges, and consequently risk of distortion or other mutilation thereof likely to impede or interfere'with desired operative movement and manipulation of the wedge memher is avoided.

If desired, as is sometimes the case, two sustaining means may be employed in tandem relation. In such case, the inner unit is left free for movement relative to the tie-rod, while the abutment member of the outer unit is anchored to the tie-rod and thereafter its associated wedge After the first unit has been tightened home, the wedge member of the second or inner unit is driven home to finally force the form wall intodesiredposition, whereafter the abutment member of said second or inner unit is anchored-to the tie-rod by tightening home its set screws. It will be obvious that the reenforcing or bracingwebs 28, by reason of their position and square outer portions, form, with the outer end of the abutment'member, a satisfactory bearing surface to engage the base flange of the wedge member of the outer unit so as to operatively bear and transmit the thrustthereof.

In Fig. 51 have shown a, somewhat modified construction of abutment member which possesses the general features above described, including the novel form and disposition of the thrust ribs face flange I'i, rearwardly extending arms 29 are provided outwardly of the thrust ribs 27, and said arms 29 terminate in keeper lugs 2 i adapted to engage the exterior keeper lip extensions of the wedge face flange H. In this arrangement,

the inner or rearward end portion of the mainbody if) is omitted, and said main body is concavely depressed, as at 38, to provide clearance between the projecting thrust ribs 21.

Having now described my present invention, I claim: l

1. A form wall sustaining means comprising, in combination, a wedgemember and a cooperating abutment member, said members each having openings for the passage of a tie-rod therethrough, said wedge member having spaced wedge webs terminating at their outer edges in transverse overhanging face flanges free margins of which provide keeper lips, said abutment member having keeper lugs cooperative with saidv keeper lips to hold said members against separation without interfering with operative movement of said wedge member relative to said abutment member, said abutment member having means to affix the same anchored relation to and upon a tie-rod, and abutment member having rearwardly projected thrust ribs laterally offset therefrom in spaced relation corresponding to the spacing of said webs so as to impinge on said wedge face flanges only at points directly aligned with said wedge webs.

2. A form wall sustaining means as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for afiixing said abutment member in anchored relation to a tie-rod comprises opposed set screws threaded through the sides of said abutment member.

ber having spaced wedge webs projecting from said base adjacently along the. sides of its slot, said wedge webs terminating at their outer edges in transverse overhanging face flanges freemargins of which provide keeper lips, said abutment member comprising an axially bored main body engageable over a tie-rod {and provided at its claim Sincluding bracing webs extending between inner endwith laterally projecting keeper lugs cooperative with said keeper lips to hold said members against separation without interfering with operative movements of said wedge member j purposes described.

thrust ribs rearwardlyl projecting from said bosses and spaced from the sides of saidmain body by indented intermediate notches, said thrust ribs being disposed in spaced apart relation correasto impinge on said wedge face flanges only at r sponding to the spacing. ofsaid wedge webs so points directly aligned with said wedge webs,

and opposed'set screws threaded through said bosses and operative to grip a tie-rod therebetween so as to anchor said abutment member thereto. w r

4.'A form wall sustaining means'asdefined in the bosses ofsaid abutment member and the outer portion of its main body, and said bracing ribs having end marginslocated in the plane of the outer end face of said main body for the SA UEL s. coL'r. 

